Revamped Owl Club Board Announced
1/31/2020 10:58:00 AM | Owl Club
Gary Chiles '86 to serve as President
A group of 29 individuals who represent a broad spectrum of former letter winners, alumni, current students and fans of Rice Athletics have been tabbed as members of a revamped Owl Club Board of Directors.
The new board will work closely with the various goal committees who have been tasked with realizing the key goals of the "Vision For Victory" strategic plan which was released by the Athletics Department in April of 2019.
Gary Chiles '86 will serve as Board President and Holly Wright '87 will serve as Board Secretary. Remaining board members include: Andi M. Bawcum, Kathy Bolks, Ally Bremer, Lee Bryant, Caroline Cobb, Byron Coston, Sten Gustafson, Maria F. Janish, Anna L. Kelley, Justine C. Lin, Kramer Lucio, Jonathan Myers, Catalina Santamaria, Alan Shelby, Nancy Shelby, Walter E. Greenberg, Jimmy A. Comerota, James Farimond, Richard Holmes, J. C. Kneale, Sparky Kutzler, Jason Love, Jason Mok, Adaeze Obinnah, Anota Adekunle, Kirby Taylor and Shana Scott.
Chiles has been a fan of Rice athletics since his first days on campus. He has volunteered for RAVA and the Rice Annual Fund for many years, including serving as co-chair of his class reunion giving committee. He was president of the Friends of Fondren Library board and currently chairs two non-profit boards in Houston. He worked very closely with Associate AD for Annual Giving Shu Muthyala and Deputy AD Rick Mello to outline the steps to engage with potential Owl Club board members.
"After Rice athletics released its new strategic plan, Vision for Victory, in April, members of the department reached out to me about reconstituting the Owl Club board to align it with the strategic plan," Chiles said. "We feel like this group is poised to help move Rice athletics forward. We've met a couple of times and we're building some real momentum. I'm really excited about the possibilities we have to leverage the expertise of our board and to bring that experience to Rice athletics and Rice student athletes."
Six members of the board were named Vice Presidents who will chair committees for nominations, giving, letter winners, communications, student athlete engagement, and community involvement. These committees will work closely with the department's "Vision for Victory" goal committees to support and enhance the strategic plan. Committee chairs include:
"The launch of the Owl Club Board of Directors is an outstanding sign of progress for Rice Athletics in conjunction with the strategic priorities and goals outlined in Vision for Victory," said Joe Karlgaard, Rice director of athletics, recreation and lifetime fitness. "We believe that academic success and competitive success can coexist, and the annual support of the Owl Club allows us to cultivate a unique experience for our student-athletes. I am eager to see the expertise of the Owl Club Board in action to better position Rice Athletics for additional resources and letter winner engagement."
The new board will work closely with the various goal committees who have been tasked with realizing the key goals of the "Vision For Victory" strategic plan which was released by the Athletics Department in April of 2019.
Gary Chiles '86 will serve as Board President and Holly Wright '87 will serve as Board Secretary. Remaining board members include: Andi M. Bawcum, Kathy Bolks, Ally Bremer, Lee Bryant, Caroline Cobb, Byron Coston, Sten Gustafson, Maria F. Janish, Anna L. Kelley, Justine C. Lin, Kramer Lucio, Jonathan Myers, Catalina Santamaria, Alan Shelby, Nancy Shelby, Walter E. Greenberg, Jimmy A. Comerota, James Farimond, Richard Holmes, J. C. Kneale, Sparky Kutzler, Jason Love, Jason Mok, Adaeze Obinnah, Anota Adekunle, Kirby Taylor and Shana Scott.
Chiles has been a fan of Rice athletics since his first days on campus. He has volunteered for RAVA and the Rice Annual Fund for many years, including serving as co-chair of his class reunion giving committee. He was president of the Friends of Fondren Library board and currently chairs two non-profit boards in Houston. He worked very closely with Associate AD for Annual Giving Shu Muthyala and Deputy AD Rick Mello to outline the steps to engage with potential Owl Club board members.
"After Rice athletics released its new strategic plan, Vision for Victory, in April, members of the department reached out to me about reconstituting the Owl Club board to align it with the strategic plan," Chiles said. "We feel like this group is poised to help move Rice athletics forward. We've met a couple of times and we're building some real momentum. I'm really excited about the possibilities we have to leverage the expertise of our board and to bring that experience to Rice athletics and Rice student athletes."
Six members of the board were named Vice Presidents who will chair committees for nominations, giving, letter winners, communications, student athlete engagement, and community involvement. These committees will work closely with the department's "Vision for Victory" goal committees to support and enhance the strategic plan. Committee chairs include:
- Nominations – Gary Chiles
- Giving – J.C. Kneale
- Letter winners – Byron Coston
- Communications – Jonathan Myers
- Community Involvement – Sten Gustafson & Maria Janish
- Student athlete engagement – Ally Bremer
"The launch of the Owl Club Board of Directors is an outstanding sign of progress for Rice Athletics in conjunction with the strategic priorities and goals outlined in Vision for Victory," said Joe Karlgaard, Rice director of athletics, recreation and lifetime fitness. "We believe that academic success and competitive success can coexist, and the annual support of the Owl Club allows us to cultivate a unique experience for our student-athletes. I am eager to see the expertise of the Owl Club Board in action to better position Rice Athletics for additional resources and letter winner engagement."
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